The holidays are over and we are officially in the 2020 presidential election cycle! House Speaker Nancy Pelosi kindly waited until after the holidays to send the impeachment articles to the Senate so the ball is in their court. Will Republican senators blindly follow their Leader, Mitch McConnell and avoid calling witnesses to determine whether the president should be removed? Or will they quickly move to vote not to remove him without telling us why? It would be great to hear evidence that actually exonerates the president. Is there anyone with first-hand knowledge of what was said or not said who can speak to the president’s innocence and confirm that his call was “perfect”? If the Senate decides to hold a vote without calling any witnesses or reviewing any evidence, that would be analogous to a child (or adult) covering their ears, closing their eyes, and yelling nonsense words to avoid hearing or seeing something they do not like. Whether a senator votes to remove or not to remove the president should be based on hearing from witnesses and reviewing the evidence.
Both Democratic and Republican senators should be held accountable for how they conduct themselves during this historic impeachment trial. Voters need to voice their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their elected representatives via their vote this November.
A Fair Trial or Poor Performance?
All of the senators took an oath to conduct a fair impeachment trial; however, it is clear that Republicans have made of their mind how they will vote without hearing or reviewing any information to support the president’s innocence or guilt. So far, Republicans have rejected amendments to subpoena witness testimony from former National Security Advisor, John Bolton and current White House Chief-of-Staff, Mick Mulvaney. Both individuals have first-hand knowledge about whether Trump intentionally withheld money from Ukraine in order to benefit himself or because he genuinely is on a mission to end corruption.
Sketch artists at the trial have caught Republican senators sleeping, doing crossword puzzles, looking at their Apple watch, etc. while House impeachment managers present their case. Clearly, their minds are made up and it does not matter what they hear or see. Regarding the second article of impeachment — Obstruction of Congress, President Trump recently bragged about “having all of the material” but “they don’t”. Republican senators continue to close their eyes and ears rather than protect our democracy like the Constitution requires of them.
American voters are NOT getting the fair trial we deserve –we are witnessing the poor performance of our elected representatives.
Our Vision for Democracy is 20/20
The Political Great Whine has a clear vision for democracy in 2020. Our constitution is an important document that should not be ignored, trampled on, or made fun of. The separation of branches and prevention of overreach by the President are critical components of our democracy. The impeachment trial is a big deal and voters deserve to know whether the President is innocent or guilty of things for which he was impeached.
We hope that our elected representatives in the Senate will do the right thing and honor their oath to be fair and impartial. If not, then we must do the right thing and vote them out in November 2020.
Thanks for “listening” to me whine. Hopefully, my whining has made you think. If so, tell your friends/family/colleagues that you heard it through the Political Great Whine!
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